


The Christmas Addition

by Kaytla



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-26
Updated: 2012-03-26
Packaged: 2017-11-02 13:32:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/369505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaytla/pseuds/Kaytla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inuyasha convinces Sesshomaru to adopt a stray dog for Christmas. Things don't turn out quite like he expected.</p>
<p>Written for Christmas 2011.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Christmas Addition

Sprawled in a comfortable armchair, Inuyasha watched the twinkling blue lights of the huge Christmas tree in his living room. It was December twenty-third, and he was still puzzling his way through one of the most common and frustrating problems of the season: what to get a certain someone for Christmas.

It didn't help that he was the only one of the two who embraced the holiday. Sesshomaru just didn't get the concept. Inuyasha had tried explaining it on several occasions over the years, but the older youkai seemed uncharacteristically dense about it. Either that, or he just viewed it as "another pointless ningen custom" and didn't try understanding. Inuyasha had long since given up trying to convince him otherwise.

His last attempt had been about a decade ago. It had gone no better than any other time.

"I fail to see the point," the daiyoukai had replied simply after listening to the hanyou's long and maybe slightly over-exaggerated explanation. "If there is something you or I need or want, I will buy it that day. Waiting until one day in December makes no sense. And neither does filling the house with all these ridiculous, sparkly ornaments and... tassles. Where the ningen got the idea to place a large tree inside their houses is unfathomable."

Inuyasha hadn't even bothered replying. Contrary to what those who knew him thought, he knew when to give up on an argument, and this one was as much of a dead end as it could possibly be. He knew it was simply best to keep his mouth shut and settle for the consolation prize: indulgence.

To be fair to Sesshomaru, he _did_ indulge. He didn't complain when Inuyasha filled the house with decorations (though any request for help was met with silence and a baleful stare). He bought and wrapped gifts for Inuyasha to open (they were seldom what Inuyasha would consider Christmas gifts, but always useful, at least). He even patiently unwrapped the gifts Inuyasha bought for him (even if he did so without even a tiny bit of suspense). But no matter how much he indulged, it was always simply that. He never got into it.

Inuyasha supposed it was just the best he could hope for.

He sighed and scratched behind one of his ears. Thinking about that wasn't getting him any closer to figuring out what to get Sesshomaru, unless there was some way to bottle Christmas cheer.

The problem was, Sesshomaru was rich. Not just comfortable or even wealthy, but insanely, ridiculously, obscenely rich. Like, rich enough to own his own island or some shit. Inuyasha didn't even dare look at the balance of their bank account for fear it would blow his fucking mind. Sesshomaru literally had the money to buy himself whatever he wanted... and he did.

So what the hell was Inuyasha supposed to buy the guy who really did have everything he wanted and needed? He was lacking in any creative skills, so going the arty route and making something unique was out... and besides, he wasn't twelve anymore.

Maybe he could break something Sesshomaru already had... But no, Sesshomaru would have a replacement before Christmas even got here (lots of money made for quick service, Inuyasha had learned) and Inuyasha would find himself in the proverbial doghouse for the foreseeable future.

Taking a leaf out of his friend's book was a dead end, too. Having a pervert and a horny wolf for friends was, as usual, a real downer; picturing Sesshomaru unwrapping some sort of sex toy or something, then slowly turning to look at him... Gods, the image alone had him feeling painfully, painfully embarrassed. And it wasn't like they needed any help in that department, anyway. So why the hell did he just think of that?

Fucking hell, he must be getting desperate for ideas if he was thinking like Miroku and Koga.

Rubbing a hand over his face as though to dispel such thoughts, he picked up the TV remote and started flicking through the channels, idly hoping for some sort of inspiration. And as he landed on an appeal, he found it.

"Dogs are for life, not just for Christmas," the advertisement declared over footage of frightened, abandoned dogs, both young and old. In spite of himself, Inuyasha felt the tugs on his heart strings as always. He felt sympathy for all animals in bad situations, but dogs got to him just that little bit extra. Probably some sort of unconscious kinship or something.

"I know what we should do for Christmas," he said abruptly, looking over at his brother.

Sesshomaru was stretched out on the sofa closest to the fire, all long lines and graceful angles. He looked up from the book he was reading and marked his page with a finger. "Yes?"

"We should adopt a dog."

"A dog," Sesshomaru repeated, and paused as though waiting for the punchline. When none came, he sighed. "Why would we adopt a dog? They shed hair and make all manner of mess," he said, with what Inuyasha considered a far too accusing look in his direction. He ignored it with difficulty for the sake of pressing his point.

"Well, just look at all the dogs that get abandoned around this time of year," he said, gesturing at the TV, but the advert had finished already. "Don't you want to help our fellow canines?"

"I don't consider myself a dog, Inuyasha."

The hanyou rolled his eyes. "Says the guy who turns into the biggest fucking dog on the planet."

"While maintaining physical and mental capabilities that far exceed those of normal dogs," the dayoukai countered. "I feel no connection to them, nor do I feel any drive to save them."

"Oh, come on," Inuyasha cajoled. "How could you say no to rescuing a cute little puppy?"

"Even messier than older dogs."

"Then how about an older dog? Some down on his luck mutt that no one wants?"

"Still messy. And riddled with fleas, from the sounds of it."

"You're a heartless bastard, you know that?" Inuyasha grouched.

Sesshomaru turned back to his book, his interest waning rapidly. "If we did acquire a dog, would you actually take care of it? Caring for an animal requires more than simply providing it with food and a place to sleep."

Inuyasha snorted. "You sound like a nagging mother."

"With how much you misbehave and get into trouble, I often feel like one. Sometimes you act so juvenile, it's worrying."

Inuyasha threw a pillow at him, but the daiyoukai caught it without even looking up from the page and set it aside calmly. "My point exactly."

"Oh, fine, then. Just forget it." He folded his arms and turned back to the TV, which was showing a late night Jerry Springer marathon, and stubbornly turned up the volume. He could feel Sessomaru's eyes on him, but refused to look.

A full minute passed in this fashion before the older brother finally sighed. "You want the dog that badly?"

Carefully suppressing the urge to smile, Inuyasha turned his attention back to his brother.

~*~

The next day was Christmas Eve, and Inuyasha found himself squeezing through crowds at a local pet store. He was determined this dog was going to get the best damn Christmas of its life so far to make up for whatever shitty things had happened to it before now. Sesshomaru had reluctantly agreed that they should avoid the pretty, perfect dogs and go for one no one was likely to want, that might end up being put down for just that reason. Having always felt like something of an unwanted outcast himself, Inuyasha had been set on rescuing one ever since he made the comparison

He wondered what type of dog they'd end up with. Big, medium or small? Would it be a pedigree or a mongrel? He had no idea, because he'd recruited Sesshomaru to the task of picking out their new pet. It was risky - Sesshomaru's tastes could run to any of a number of extremes - but it had seemed like the only way to get him involved in the process. He'd been largely uninterested even after agreeing to purchase a dog, but Inuyasha wanted him to have at least _some_ connection with it.

He dumped a packet of tennis balls in his cart, and examined a rawhide bone, trying to ignore the fact that it actually smelled pretty damn good. Though a tiny part of him was tempted, there was no way in hell he'd ever experiment. If anyone he knew ever found out... oh, he couldn't even begin to fathom the torment they'd all put him through, the bastards. Even Sesshomaru would be against im. Frowning, he threw the bone into the cart.

He surveyed the huge load in front of him. He'd bought the essentials - a bed, bowls, a collar and lead (in a neutral red, because they hadn't settled on a gender for the dog), toys... but the majority was food, he realised. The dog was going to live like a king and be fat before New Year's, at this rate.

The hanyou grabbed another packet of tennis balls off the rack and threw them in. That'd do.

Satisfied with his haul, Inuyasha turned his cart around and headed for the counter.

~*~

Back at home, Inuyasha indulged in another dreaded aspect of Christmas: wrapping presents. For a dog, no less. But since he suggested this, and he needed to keep Sesshomaru obliging him, he was determined to see this through thoroughly right up until the end for fear Sesshomaru would use it as an excuse to throw in the towel himself.

But he hated this. Every time his claws accidentally tore the paper or the sticky tape stuck to itself and became useless, he came closer and closer to throwing the shiny instrument of torture straight out the fucking window. He should have just called Kagome to help. He'd long since thought that wrapping gifts was something only females could do right. Like some kind of genetic thing.

He was perilously close to that point when he heard the door open, announcing Sesshomaru's return with their new dog. Grateful for the excuse to take a break and eager to see what his brother had brought home, Inuyasha leapt to his feet and darted out into the hallway.

And stopped.

Just stopped and stared.

"What the hell is this?" he finally asked, staring incredulously.

"Watch your tone," Sesshomaru said as he took off his coat and hung it up. "She's wary of strangers. Don't frighten her."

"Yeah, but..." Inuyasha's words failed him. "What the hell?"

From around his brother's legs peeked a curious pair of big, brown eyes belonging, not to a dog, but to a human girl who couldn't have been more than six. Judging from the state of her clothes and face, she hadn't been living well, and that did admittedly make him instantly sympathetic... but seriously, what the hell?

He knew he'd mentioned "stray" somewhere in his specifications for the kind of mutt he wanted, but this really wasn't what he'd had in mind.

"Sesshomaru, a child? What the hell? Where did you even find her? What the hell are we going to do with her?"

Sesshomaru's nose pointed into the air in the haughty manner Inuyasha had come to learn actually meant he was self-conscious over something and was covering it in huge amounts of arrogance.

Fucking hell, what did he have to be embarrassed about? What the hell did he do to get this girl?

"The circumstances of how she came into my custody are irrelevant," the daiyoukai said. "All that matters now is that she will not be parted from my side and I see no reason why I should entrust her care to ningen when it was they who failed her in the first place."

Inuyasha threw up a hand. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold it right there." He stared at his brother. "You want to adopt this child? You actually want to bring a child into this home for us to look after? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Do we need to take you to the vet to have your ears cleaned?" Sesshomaru sniped. "I explained myself clearly."

Inuyasha let the insult slide without socking him in the jaw only because of the girl.

"It's crazy, you dumb fu -" He broke off with a glance down at the girl. Lucky save. Especially because she was just... staring at him like he was the most fascinating thing in the world. Crap, she wasn't even blinking. What a weird kid. And Sesshomaru wanted to adopt this girl?

"It's crazy," he carried on. "What makes you think we're qualified to look after a child? I'm telling you, we're not!"

"And yet you wanted us to buy a dog knowing this?"

"A dog is different! It looks after itself! And you don't have to teach it stuff like... like _manners_ and _morals_ and how to get along with other people... and we sure as hell ain't good at those things, damn it."

Sesshomaru remained steadfast. "Whatever she requires, it will be provided, one way or another."

Inuyasha pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm telling you, this is a bad idea. We're going to screw this kid up somehow, I know it."

"You don't have to take any responsibility for her upbringing if you feel indequate," Sesshomaru said coolly, placing a hand on the girl's head and steering her past Inuyasha, into the living room.

Inuyasha winced. Sesshomaru was actually serious about this, wasn't he? Just like he'd been serious about the dog. And Sesshomaru had... accepted his decision, even though he didn't agree.

Fuck.

"Wait, wait." Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey, he was actually doing this, wasn't he? "All right, all right. I'm not... I don't hate this, ok? It just caught me by surprise. I send you out for a dog and you come back with a kid. That's a big surprise right there."

He saw Sesshomaru's shoulders relax a minute amount. "Very well, then. I understand."

Inuyasha followed them into the living room, keeping a somewhat wary eye on the girl. She'd stopped staring at him and was instead looking around her, turning in a slow circle to take in everything. He realised at that moment that her curiosity was waking up, and very soon, she was going to be bored shitless. It was a big house, but only interesting to look at for so long. He'd need to find something for her to do.

Desperate, he scanned the room, and his eyes fell on the pile of unwrapped presents. There, on top, was a knited doll. It had a bell inside that tinkled and it was shaped like some amorphous blob vaguely reminscent of a young blonde girl.

He snatched it up and handed it to the child, who took it slowly and carefully, staring at it. While he waited for any sort of reaction at all, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed on the doll.

"Inuyasha." The hanyou glanced up. "That toy is not actually meant for children, is it?"

"Well... no."

The daiyoukai frowned at him. "You cannot give a child a dog's toy, Inuyasha. It's unseemly."

"We haven't got anything else for her to play with! And she needs something to keep her occupied!"

"It's still a dog's toy. It's entirely unsuitable for -"

The merry chime of the bell snagged both their attentions and they looked down. Both inuyoukai softened (though neither would ever had admitted it) to see the little girl holding the doll aloft, a wide grin plastered over her face.

Inuyasha sighed, knowing he was well and truly defeated then. If she could get such a happy look on her face over such a crappy toy, he knew once and for all she'd really had it rough. And that meant he'd found his down on her luck stray, didn't it?

He looked up at Sesshomaru again. "Let's just do the best we can. Take it day by day. And make sure she has one hell of a Christmas this year."

Sesshomaru kept his eyes on the little girl standing between them, cuddling the doll and beaming up at them. "Agreed."


End file.
